Dan's Knee
The Incident Because of Dan's reticence to discuss the circumstances of his harrowing knee injury, only the barest details are known: Somehow, devastating trauma was inflicted upon Dan's left knee during a Vermont ski trip. Was this an ordinary accident, or could it have been something more sinister? Or maybe Dan deliberately sacrificed himself in order to protect an innocent child by maneuvering his own body between the youngster and some imminent danger? It also could have been an elderly nun, or a blind person. Without definitive facts, speculation naturally abounds. What we do know is that the injury was severe enough to necessitate surgical intervention. In nothing less than a modern medical miracle, he received a transplant consisting of a ligament harvested posthumously from an anonymous donor. Mere decades ago, such treatments were the mere fever dreams of syphilitic madmen. It is not yet known whether Dan has become clairvoyant or even perhaps even homicidal due to the spirit of the harvested tissue's former host asserting itself over Dan's personality, however it is not totally unreasonable to assume that he has. Accordingly, those closest to Dan should maintain vigilance for any signs that he is fighting to maintain motor control over his own body. For instance, does Dan's mouth ever attempt to pronounce two totally different words simultaneously? Should such a thing ever happen, this could be the first indication of an existential struggle for Dan's very soul. Convalescence A great many knee injury victims, facing a future of relentless physical pain and crushing social stigma, choose to live out the remainder of their wretched days hiding in the shadows. But not Dan. Unwilling to suffer the woeful fate of so many in his dire situation, Dan marshalled the vast force of will necessary to keep his excruciating physical therapy appointments, maintain a grueling home exercise regime, and endure the debilitating side effects of his various prescription medications. Even if one somehow manages to make it to the other end of this gauntlet, it is a well-established fact in the medical literature that a knee injury of the type inflicted upon Dan requires an entire year to fully recover. In spite of this, Dan determinedly returned to work and kept his scheduled appearances. In doing so he not only made public his own personal struggle, but he also gave voice to the teeming millions who suffer through life bearing the scars of their own brutal destinies. Approximately 100,000 Americans each year undergo total knee reconstruction. Thanks to Dan's one-man campaign to spark a national conversation, there is now a face for this silent healthcare crisis. Finally these victims have a champion. Knee Injuries in Cinema Dan's story, coupled with his prominence in the entertainment industry, opened a lot of eyes to Hollywood's irresponsible handling of America's knee injury epidemic. On the big screen, they are often portrayed in a callous -- sometimes even comical -- fashion, totally contrary to the grim reality faced by actual victims. If you are a person for whom depictions of knee violence is a PTSD trigger, it may be wise to avoid these films altogether (spoiler alert): *[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1486193/ 5 Days of War] (2011) An old lady is shot in the knee. *''Alice, Sweet Alice'' (1976) Annie is stabbed in the knee. *''The Book of Eli'' (2010) *''Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee'' (TV) (2007) Thematic resonance abounds. *''Child's Play'' (1988) Chucky is shot in the left knee, but this does not impede him since he is a magical doll. *''Creature'' (2011) Niles is shot in the knee. *''Curse of Chucky'' (2013) Chucky lodges a hatchet in Nica's knee. *''The Departed'' (2006) Billy Costigan shoots a guy in the knee. *''The Desolation of Smaug'' (2013) Kili the dwarf takes a poisoned arrow in the knee. *''Desperado'' (1995) During a gang initiation, the applicant's kneecap is crushed. *''Django Unchained'' (2012) Django shoots an Australian in both knees, who subsequently explodes. *''Dream a Little Dream 2 (1994) Corey Haim's character shoots someone in the knee. *''Eyes of Crystal (2004) In the opening scene, a cop shoots an apprehended rapist in the knee. *''Face/Off'' (1997) Archer shoots a cop in the knee. *''The Firm'' (1993) Gary Busey's character shoots a hitman in the knee. *''Friday Night Lights'' (2004) Boobie takes a hard hit during a game, breaking his left knee with an audible crunch. *''Funny Games'' (1997, 2007) Paul strikes somebody in the knee with a golf club. *''The General'' (1998) Martin shoots Gary in the knee. *''Inception'' (2010) Arthur is shot in the knee. *''The Island (2005) *''The Karate Kid (1984) During competition, Bobby delivers a disabling jump kick to Daniel's knee and is immediately disqualified. *''The Killer Elite'' (1975) Gerry Hansen shoots Mike Locken in the knee. *''Kindergarten Cop'' (1990) Cullen Crisp shoots Detective John Kimble in the knee. *''Labyrinth'' (1986) Sir Didymus strikes Ludo in the knee with his staff. *''Machete'' (2010) Padre is shot in the knee. *''Mad Max'' (1979) Max is shot in the left knee. *''Miami Vice'' (2006) Zito is shot in the knee. *''Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead (1995) Under torture, the protagonist's knee is reportedly "corkscrewed." *''Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) Both of General Marquez's knees are blown off with a shotgun. *''The Orphanage'' (2007) Laura runs and falls, breaking her leg and suffering a bloody knee. *''The Raid: Redemption'' (2011) Rama stabs a guy in the knee and twists the knife. *''Ricochet'' (1991) John Lithgow's character shoots a gang leader in the knee. *''Savages'' (2012) *''Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'' (1991) Kirk kicks an alien in the knee. *''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) An entire squad of SWAT team members is shot in the knee. *''The Thin Red Line'' (1998) An American GI is shot in the knee. *''Undead or Alive: A Zombedy'' (2007) A zombie is shot in both knees. *''Under Siege 2: Dark Territory'' (1995) Kelly is shot in the knee. *''Varsity Blues'' (1999) Lance takes a hard hit during a game, breaking his knee. *''Welcome to the Punch'' (2013) In the opening scene, Detective Max Lewinsky is shot in the knee. *"Knee Injury" Movies (IMDb) *"Knee Wound" Movies (IMDb) Other Victims of Notable Knee Injuries *'Bobby Brown', who was shot in the knee while attending a block party at age ten. *'Shun Fujimoto', gymnast from Japan who scored a 9.7 on the rings at the 1976 Montréal Summer Olympics despite a broken knee. *'Nancy Kerrigan', Olympic hopeful figure skater, is ambushed in Detroit by a masked man and clubbed in the right knee with a police baton in January 1994. *'Evel Knievel' *'Ken Reeves' (fictional character), basketball coach on The White Shadow (1978-81) *'Britney Spears', who blew out her left knee during a June 2004 video shoot (for the song "Outrageous") which required surgery and forced her to cancel a summer tour. Spears later sued her insurance carriers after they balked at her $9.8 million claim.